


Disaster Party

by phantomthief_fee



Series: The Assistant [8]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Minor Violence, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sexual Harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Joey has requested Sammy's presence at a company party and, not wanting to go alone, he asks Cordelia to come along with. Unfortunately, bringing his secretary to a company party has...certain unwanted connotations.
Relationships: Sammy Lawrence & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Assistant [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/883020
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish I was.”

“Oh God,” Cordelia groaned, collapsing into her chair and burying her face in her hands. 

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Sammy said, pulling up a chair to sit beside her. “But…I’d like it if you could.”

Joey was having a company party. It was the sort of company party he threw every so often for his investors, full of fancy food and lavish decorations. Sammy abhorred these parties because it always meant he had to tolerate the investors for however long the party lasted, which was always longer than anyone was comfortable with. The only people who ever enjoyed the parties were the investors because of how much Joey kissed their asses during it.

Once again, Joey had requested Sammy’s presence at this latest party. As much as Sammy didn’t want to go, he knew he couldn’t get out of it. Joey wouldn’t hesitate to fire him if he tried to duck out.

“You do realize that everyone will think the rumors of us sleeping together are true if I go with you, don’t you?” Cordelia said, lifting her face from her hands just to give him a weary look.

Her close relationship with Sammy, especially since she was his secretary, had led many of the other employees in the studio to assume the two of them were sleeping together, which continued to bother her. Yes, there had been a time when she’d had a crush on Sammy, but that had been years ago. He was like a brother to her now.

“I know, but I don’t want to go alone,” Sammy was practically pleading. “I won’t be able to stand it by myself.”

“Why can’t you go with Susie?” As soon as she said this, though, Cordelia remembered. The fight, Susie’s yelling, the insults the other woman had hurled at Sammy.

“She’s…not talking to me right now…” Sammy said slowly, his face falling.

“Oh…Right…The Allison thing.”

“Yeah.”

They both lapsed into silence. 

“Alright, fine.” Cordelia sighed, taking a deep breath and smoothing out her skirt. “I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you so much.” Sammy smiled wearily. “I don’t think I’d be able to stand it if I had to go alone.”

“I know, I know.” Cordelia sighed again. She was reminded of going to cast parties with Roy when she’d been younger because he’d needed some kind of support to maintain his public persona. 

“I don’t suppose I could bring Roy along?” She asked with a weak laugh.

“Afraid not.” Sammy got up, groaning a little at the way his back protested. “It’s a company party after all.”

“I figured.” 

.

And so, Cordelia accompanied Sammy to the company party. As expected, Sammy’s arrival with her on his arm prompted the investors to start whispering. A few investors gave Sammy a thumbs up while others just shot knowing glances his way as the two of them made their way through the crowded ballroom. Cordelia had gotten moderately dressed up, although she’d tried not to get too dolled up in an attempt not to stand out. 

Still, all eyes were on her in her strapless blue gown, with her hair curled and spilling down her shoulders like a waterfall. At least she was wearing gloves, so she wouldn’t be able to pick her cuticles bloody.

“I told you this would happen,” Cordelia whispered, her face burning with shame at the whispers. Sammy looked equally uncomfortable. 

In the corner of the ballroom, near Joey, Susie watched them. At the sight of Sammy, anger boiled up in her heart again. Of course he had to drag Cordelia into this. That selfish bastard. She knew Cordelia had told him about the rumors and yet he’d steamrolled right on ahead just like he always did.

“Looks like your little boyfriend rebounded pretty fast,” an investor snickered, elbowing Susie. 

“Oh, trust me. She’s out of his league,” Susie replied, her voice laced with sickly sweet poison. She was more than happy to throw Sammy under the boss but she wasn’t about to do that to Cordelia. 

“Just like you’re out of mine?” Joey asked, wrapping an arm around Susie’s waist and pulling her closer. 

“It’s different.” Susie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her champagne. “Let’s just talk about something else, alright?”

“Of course, Alice.” Joey kissed her cheek and turned the conversation back to what the studio was doing.

Meanwhile, Sammy was seriously regretting his decision to bring Cordelia to the party. Everyone was whispering and making comments and Cordelia looked on the verge of tears. Especially since a number of the investors had either slapped her ass, commented on her breasts, insinuated they could get her a promotion if she fucked them, or all three. 

“I’m so sorry I made you do this,” he whispered after taking her off to the side. “You were right. It was a mistake.”

“Can I go home?” Cordelia whimpered, sounding more like the 19-year-old girl she’d been when she’d first started at the studio rather than the 30 something woman she was now.

“Yes, you can go home,” Sammy said. “I’m so sorry.”

Cordelia nodded, sniffling loudly and taking a moment to compose herself. She then quickly left. 

Sammy leaned against the wall, sighing heavily. He should have listened to Cordelia in the first place. He just hadn’t expected things to go this badly.

“Looks like you’re not as callous as I thought you were.”

Sammy closed his eyes, stifling a groan. 

“Hello, Susie.”

Susie stood in the doorway. She wore a shimmering black evening gown with a deeply plunging neckline and a fur stole. Her bleach blond hair was perfectly curled and looked almost as white as the pearls on her ears and around her throat.

“What on Earth were you thinking, bringing her here?” Susie demanded, stalking toward him. 

“I needed someone to talk to,” Sammy replied wearily. “Someone I could gripe too.”

“You selfish jackass,” Susie growled. “It never occurred to you that this would fuel the rumors?! Think of what this is going to do to her! It’ll only make things worse!” She jabbed a finger into Sammy’s thin chest, her long nails sinking into the fabric of his tuxedo.

“She told me that. I should have listened.” Sammy was too tired to have this argument right now. He just wanted to go home.

“Yes, you should have.” Susie narrowed her eyes. “You’re as selfish and insensitive as ever!”

Sammy nodded, avoiding her gaze. He deserved the insults. 

“Oh, give him a break. He wasn’t thinking,” Joey’s voice came from the doorway. Sammy stiffened, his head snapping in the direction of Joey’s voice.

Joey smiled wide, immaculate in every way. His dark hair was slicked back against his head, his mustache neat and trimmed, his suit perfectly pressed. 

Susie wrinkled her nose at Joey’s defense, huffing and flouncing away. Which left Joey and Sammy alone. Sammy remained on edge. 

“This really was a blunder on your part, wasn’t it?” Joey remarked, ambling easily toward Sammy. “Poor Miss Bell. This will devastate her, I’m sure.”

“What do you want, Joey?” Sammy pressed himself further against the wall, almost praying he could sink into it. 

“I could…lessen these rumors if you like,” Joey said. “As long as you do a few little…favors for me.” He smiled, the expression too wide, too white. 

Sammy hunched his shoulders. He needed to make this up to Cordelia somehow. Surely it wouldn’t…hurt if he just did a few favors for Joey. Just to make the rumors go away.

“….Fine,” he said after a long period of silence. “But only a few. As long as you make the rumors go away.”

Joey’s smile widened. “We have a deal.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the party

**[randomwriteronline](https://randomwriteronline.tumblr.com/) asked: ** **Consider: the day after the whole ordeal at the party Cordelia is so shaken, so done, and so angry with this kind of things that the moment some idiot makes a joke or a nudge abt her sleeping with an investor and/or Sammy she just Goes To Town On That Motherfucker and sends them to the infirmary with a firm kick in the mouth**

This is an amazing idea, thank you. 

* * *

When Cordelia came in the work the next day, her eyes were still red. She’d been crying all night. She hadn’t wanted to come to work, but she didn’t really have a choice. She needed this job. She couldn’t afford to lose it. So, she covered her red and blotchy skin with makeup and hoped people wouldn’t ask why her eyes were so red.

The studio was abuzz with rumors, everyone have heard about Sammy taking Cordelia to the party. Other employees whispered as she passed by. She knew people were staring. She could feel their gazes on her back. As upset as she was at this, she was also furious. Didn’t they have anything better to do than to speculate about her love life? It wasn’t any of their fucking business. Why did they all care so much?

Thankfully, Susie came in at about the same time, and she did not take kindly to the whispering and staring.

“The fuck are you all looking at?!” Susie snapped, putting herself between the other employees and Cordelia.

Faced with Susie’s anger, the employees scattered. Everyone had become a lot more scared of her after the incident with Allison Cordelia mumbled some thanks to Susie and headed down to the Music Department.

When Cordelia sat down at her desk, Sammy wanted to immediately apologize. She still looked awful. It felt terrible to know he had done this to her. He wanted so badly to apologize. He decided it was better to leave her alone, though. She probably didn’t want to be reminded of the events of the party.

So, he left her alone and let her do her work.

.

It wasn’t long before an employee approached her to ask about the rumors. Ask probably wasn’t the best word for it, actually. One of the writers, Preston, sauntered up to her desk around lunchtime. Some of his friends hung back near the end of the hallway, begging him to walk away.

“This isn’t a good idea, Pres,” one hissed.

But Preston didn’t heed the advice of his friends.

“Hey there,” he said, leaning on Cordelia’s desk.

Cordelia closed her eyes and started to count under her breath. She had talked to Preston exactly twice before and each time had been more unpleasant than the last. He didn’t seem to grasp that she was nearly 30 and not interested in him in the slightest.

“What can I help you with, Mr. Scott?” She asked, forcing a customer service smile as she looked up at him.

“I heard Sammy took you to that big company party,” Preston said with what was likely supposed to be a sly smile but came out more as a smug smirk. “You get any new job offers from those fat cats? I’m sure a lady like you can get lots of stuff outta them.” He winked at her. “Especially when you’ve already got Sammy wrapped around your finger.”

Something in Cordelia snapped.

Before the young writer knew what was happening, Sammy’s mild-mannered secretary had punched him so hard he was sent stumbling back. His friends all gasped, a few whispering,

“Serves him right.”

“What the-?” Preston cupped his face, eyes wide.

“Don’t you ever say anything like that to me ever again,” Cordelia growled, looking angrier than any of them had ever seen her before.

Sammy had stopped his work, looking out his window to observe the situation, ready to intervene if things got nasty.

“I don’t get what everyone’s obsession is with my theoretical love life is, but I’ve had enough of it.” Cordelia leaned on the desk, her eyes burning. “I’m not fucking Sammy, I’m not fucking some investor, and I’m not going to fuck you. If you or anyone else asks me about this shit again, I’m kicking your teeth in. Do you understand me?”

“Y-Yes ma’am,” Preston stammered, nodding as he backed away.

As soon as he was at the end of the hallway, he bolted, his friends following behind.

“And tell people to stop spreading those damn rumors!” Cordelia yelled after him. “I’m not your source of entertainment!”

She then smoothed out her dress, took a deep breath, and sat back down to continue her work as if nothing had happened.

The rumors did stop. For the most part. A few more obnoxious members of staff came to tell Cordelia that she was being too sensitive. They had to go to the infirmary after that, a number of them with ice on their crotches and/or on their noses.

The rumors stopped for good after that.

.

“You know, it looks like Miss Bell doesn’t need our help,” Joey laughed the next time he spoke with Sammy. “I heard she’s been retaliating against the rumor mill.”

“Yeah, she has.” Sammy couldn’t help but smile fondly. He was so proud of her for standing up for herself.

“She’s a remarkable young lady,” Joey chuckled to himself.

Sammy didn’t like the way Joey said that.

**Author's Note:**

> This started on a whim and ended up pretty dark.


End file.
